National trade marks

A trade mark is a word, pictorial, three-dimensional or combined denomination capable to distinguish goods or services of one entity from those of another one.The trade mark can be any name or symbol distinguishing products of a certain producer from those of its competitor and indentifying them for customers.The term of protection of a registered trade mark is ten years from the date of filing a trade mark application. Protection period can be extended upon a request of a trade mark owner by renewal of the trade mark each time by 10 years.

Services provided:

• Trade mark counseling;
• Identical or similarity searches, searches for earlier rights;
• Securing trade mark registration in the Slovak Republic:
  • Preparing and filing applications for a national trade mark;
  • Representation in proceedings before the Industrial Property Office of the Slovak Republic (IPO SR);
• Securing trade mark registration abroad in national proceeding;
• Extending validity of trade mark registration:
  • Watching terms and deadlines and renewal of trade mark registration;
• Registration of assignments/successions in title, licences, liens, owner’s data changes and the like into the Registries of IPO SR and of foreign offices;
• Representation in cancelation proceedings:
  • Filing requests for cancelation of trade marks;
  • Defending client´s trade marks against filed requests for cancelation;
• Enforcement of trademark rights in judicial proceedings;
• Defending rights of a client against an infringement and unfair competition conduct.

Community trade marks

Within the European Union (EU) an application for a Community trade mark can be filed. By the means of Community trade mark registration its owner obtains a right for its use throughout the entire European Union as well as the right to prohibit use of the trade mark by third parties. The Community trade mark owner has the exclusive right to label their goods or services, for which it was recorded in the Register, with the trade mark, or use it in connection with such goods or services.The term of validity of the Community trade mark registration is ten years from the date of filing the application and registration can be renewed, at a request of the trade mark owner, each time for a period of ten years.

Services provided:

• Trade mark counseling;
• Identical and similarity searches, earlier rights searches;
• Securing registration of a trade mark in the European Union:
  • Administration, processing and filing Community trade mark applications;
  • Representation in the proceeding before the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM) in Alicante;
• Extension of validity of trade mark registration:
  • Watching terms and deadlines and extending validity of registration;
• Enforcement of patent rights in judicial proceedings;
• Representation in cancelation proceedings:
  • Filing requests for cancelation of trade marks;
  • Defending client´s trade marks against filed requests for cancelation;
• Enforcement of trademark rights in judicial proceedings;
• Defending rights of a client against an infringement and unfair competition conduct.

International trade marks

Under the Madrid Agreement or the Protocol to the Madrid Agreement it is possible to file an application in respect of various countries. International registration in the contractual parties of the agreements can be based on a single application filed with the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organisation in Geneva through IPO SR on condition that the applicant has a business or residence in or is the national of the SlovakRepublic.During validity of the trade mark its owner may request a territorial extension of protection into contractual states, where the trade mark has not been registered or protection was definitely rejected. The trade mark owner can also waive protection in some countries, limit specification of goods and services, assign the trade mark entirely or partially to another owner, etc.

Services provided:

• International trade mark counselling;
• Identical or availability searches, earlier rights searches;
• Securing trade mark registration abroad:
  • Preparing and filing applications for international trade mark registration;
  • Representation in the proceeding;
• Representation in the proceeding in the matter of provisional refusal of protection for an international trade mark by IPO SR;
• Extension of validity of international trade mark registrations:
  • Watching terms and deadlines and extending validity of registration;
• Recordal of assignments/successions in title, licences, liens, owner’s data changes and the like into the Register of the International Bureau of WIPO;
• Representation in cancelation proceedings:
  • Filing requests for cancelation of trade marks;
  • Defending client´s trade marks against fileds request for cancelation;
• Enforcement of trademark rights in judicial proceedings;
• Defending rights of a client against an infringement and unfair competition conduct.